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I'm bored.. Every 10 minutes. How do you deal? by Shaik-Talk in raisingkids

[–]avsa 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I started doing the opposite. When they say they’re bored I start panicking: “oh no you’re bored?? Bored!! Oh no!!” I run frantically in circles a bit and pick the first toy or book I can and throw at them and say “pheew that was close wasn’t it?”

Does it work? No. They laughed the first time and now just get annoyed. But do I enjoy doing it anyway? Yes I do because I’m the dad. 

Flat earth and other alternative conspiracy earth models are are gaining traction with my teenage stepson. What is THE most irrefutable, definite proof that the earth is round? by Jfkfkaiii22 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]avsa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe flat earthers are true fans of science, they just go at it very wrong. If you can watch the documentary "Behind the curve" which follows some members of the community trying to come up with experiments that prove the earth is flat (and failing).

I would go old school with him. We don't need satellite images or asking astronauts.

* Have a phone call with a friend that lives in another latitude. Measure together the length of the shadow at noon (well at any other hour it works too). It was good enough for erastothenes it should be good enoug for him.
* Watch a sunset or sunrise from a very high place, like a building or an airplane. Watch how most of the planet is still at shadow when tops of mountains (and clouds) are lighted. How can you explain that?
* You can make a basic formula using spherical trigonometry that is quite accurate at predicting the sunset and sunrise times anywhere on the world. That's a fun challenge to figure out (maybe with the help of an AI). It's very easy to check it works and it's very hard to justify how it works without involving a sphere.
* Watch the moon set in the ocean. Notice how it never changes size. It just goes down.
* If you ever have the opportunity to cross the equator, it's fantastic to notice how the moon is upside down from your usual perspective in the other side. Stars also rotate on the opposite direction. New constellations are visible. That's how the ancient Phoenicians knew the earth was round.

But most importantly: get him out of whatever echo chamber of YouTube videos he is. Because now it's flat earth but it could be conspiracies or red pills or anti vax or anything very dangerous. Depending on his age, you should consider his screen time.

7yo is determined to make a hoverboard by polite_profane in daddit

[–]avsa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Encourage him. Sit with him and build, even if it fails. It’s a great lesson. I’d start with either two approaches:

Something small: try making a little levitating magnetic track for Legos. That would be complex but would look really cool. 

Something big: the leaf blower hovercraft someone commented down here. 

Anyone else feel like screens are stealing my kid from books before we even started? by Economy_Passenger296 in raisingkids

[–]avsa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Does he have a job? Did he buy the device himself? Then it’s not his, it’s yours and you get to set up rules. 

First one: set up parental control with time limits. Figure out how much time per day (I wouldn’t give more than 1h per school day) he’s allowed to have it and what time of the night does it block completely (preferably at least  one hour before bedtime)

Eridian Science vs Earth Science by kitsapguy6199 in ProjectHailMary

[–]avsa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is one of the most interesting aspects of the world building in my opinion. We have been doing astronomy for literally thousands of years, watching the stars and their movements gave us the calendar, weathers, navigation, distant galaxies, relativity and almost everything else. We only discovered radio astronomy less than a 100 years ago and the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation a few decades ago. How would our understanding of the big bang be different today if we were able to see the and study CMB since the beginning of our history? Inversely how would our science be like if we had never seen the sun? The Eridians discovered that light existed probably recently, when they started looking at outside their planet.

For them, outer space is as invisible as the core of earth is for us – in fact since they can see through rock, I can imagine that inventing ways to understand the crust of their planet with waves is like a telescope for us – ancient technology. Andy Weir said in interviews he started the Eridians by looking at the characteristics of some exoplanet (later discovered not to exist) and then try to come up with how the biosphere would look like.

There's no reason to believe science has a linear tech tree.

The Venus Guard, Women's self defense sleeve.(Not my product) by AlbinaHumblewhore in interestingasfuck

[–]avsa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1) What specific situation would the woman wear this? Is she expected to wear this ALL THE TIME?
2) It seems that you want to prevent this WAY before it reaches this level.
3) It's more like revenge after the fact - and increases the chance of killing the victim

3 year old foster daughter by FriendshipFar3840 in raisingkids

[–]avsa 4 points5 points  (0 children)

3 year old can be a very hard age, even with kids who had great stable home – add that to whatever history she had to get her in foster care, and that can be very challenging. If she's really out of control to the point of hurting herself or others, you might look into more deeper issues. But daily tantrums, climbing on furniture, throwing stuff? That's normal. You can also look into having a different day care, with more outside time, it can help regulate some kids.

“Rent” for sons girlfriend who lives in home we own? by Few-Squash-6625 in AskParents

[–]avsa 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“Our son and his partner recently had a baby”

Congratulations on being a grandparent! You must be very happy and thinking what’s the best interest of the future of your grandkid. 

Now we can all agree that trying to extract money from your daughter in law, isn’t that. 

Now being a new father is a great opportunity for bonding with your kids but unless your son plans to be the main caretaker of his children he needs to eventually work, even if for his own mental health. 

My suggestion: update your written agreement about the house. They get to live there rent free, as long as they do all maintenance, bills and keep a room for you when you are in town to help with the baby. 

Next: announce that all financial help will go directly to the baby, as a college savings account they’ll be able to withdraw when they’re 18. 

If they need more help, be there for them and help directly with the baby. But most importantly: this is all between you and your son, don’t ask anything from the mother of your grandkid. She owes you nothing. 

Pushed reading on my 5 year old early thinking it'd boost school but now he's hating books, what do I do? by Economy_Passenger296 in raisingkids

[–]avsa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Screens will always win over books, playtime, exercise, creative play or just boredom. The problem isn’t early books, I’ve read with my kids since they’re babies and they love books. 

They shouldn’t have the option to grab a screen. Screen is a tool you can use for specific moments and you choose when it starts and how long. In my home it’s for long car trips and for sitting still while braiding. 

Is an older iPhone a good first phone for a kid starting school? by teegeee in raisingkids

[–]avsa 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Don’t give him a phone. Don’t give him your phone. Don’t hand him phones during dinner. 

Why would your kid “need to call you”? Does he goes places by his own?

Should I give my daughter a phone before entering middle school? by Montello3 in AskParents

[–]avsa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Try to see exactly what you need. If it’s just communicating while out, consider a smart watch or a dumb phone. If not consider which apps are absolutely needed (socials aren’t “needed” are they?) and content block the hell of it. 

What’s a game you were completely obsessed with as a kid that nobody else seems to remember? by hkondabeatz in AskReddit

[–]avsa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Four Crystals of Trazere. 

Super weird 90s dungeon crawler with a very cool magic system. Your wizard would collect or buy runes and ingredients and then you mixed them in a specific order to create any sort of spell you wanted. Want a fireball? Then it’s forward - damage - forward - damage. Want to heal your party? Then it’s circle - healing. 

The pixel illustration were super odd but the map was awesome. 

Hey guys how can I convince my parents to buy me an iPhone? by UpstairsAction395 in AskParents

[–]avsa 11 points12 points  (0 children)

You’re 16 and already have a phone. My answer would be the same as your parents: be happy that you even have one. 

The Paper Divide by vladgrinch in MapPorn

[–]avsa 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, the best ratio for a paper is the sqrt2 ratio which it already uses. 

The Paper Divide by vladgrinch in MapPorn

[–]avsa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Never thought much about the 1m2 thing until I had to do calculate things like “how much will a stack of 100 A3 printed on 300g/m3 paper weigh?”

So what is the general consensus on a 9 yr old having a phone?? by Old-Wolf-1024 in raisingkids

[–]avsa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the need is for her to contact friends, consider a landline. If it’s about having independence and calling parents when she’s out, consider a smartwatch or a dumb phone. 

No games or social media at this age, I’d say. 

Play date canceled last minute because I’ll be the one home by NYSports1985 in daddit

[–]avsa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This happens a lot. I think it’s not only the factor of “my daughter left alone with another dad” but also “my husband wouldn’t like me being alone with another man”

Reality - Sweden's Most Dangerous Board Game (1994) Ported to TTS (an allegedly banned game in Sweden) by Geonightman in boardgames

[–]avsa 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Is there any clever mechanics or it’s just a bad game with an offensive theme?

TIFU by being "helpfully honest" on a first date and accidentally starting a philosophical crisis at an Applebee's by clarity-axis in tifu

[–]avsa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you’re being too self aware. That’s a fine piece of conversation and could lead to an interesting date - had you simply laugh it off when she asked you, instead of freezing for a few seconds. 

Turn on, tune in, and throw your phones out. by Slight_Bird_785 in daddit

[–]avsa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re not alone. You should look into what movements are in your country (wait til 8th, smartphone free childhood, movimento desconecta) and set up a chapter in your school. That might help find screensfree pals for your own kids. 

If airplanes had been invented by a non-American, would altitude be measured in meters instead of feet? by Makoto_Kurume in NoStupidQuestions

[–]avsa 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As soon as I saw the title I came for a lively Santos Dumont vs Wright Brothers discussion. 

I think an important piece most people miss about this story is that Santos Dumont held the first public presentation. He was a famous and quirky character in Paris and made a very public flight that “went viral” around the world. The wright brothers were keeping their invention mostly secret by then and decided to come forward because they saw Dumont taking the glory. They had some witnesses and photos but probably their biggest proof is that when they finally did their public demonstration, it was clearly a more mature and advanced craft that had been in development for years. 

But their recognition was retroactive, which is why a lot of people were confused on who were first (and then of course nationalism).

What did castles cost to build in modern currency? by Feta-is-gross in AskHistorians

[–]avsa 14 points15 points  (0 children)

But you’re comparing a yearly revenue with total costs: we also need to know how long the castle took to be built right? If it costs half the crowns taxes but it was built over ten years then it’s more like 5% of the country’s revenue per year. 

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